Radio Silence

Oh brother here we go down that rabbit hole of being a Recruiter again. Sometimes I wonder why I get out of bed in the morning! This gig makes you feel alive, bends you, stretches you, tries your emotions, your patience and kicks you straight in the teeth sometimes! It’s not like selling a car or other inanimate object. My product, people, they think, they can be different people from one day to the next even one minute to the next. I have to be weary of that, at all times.

Real time info here. I’m working on an assignment for a good client of mine. I’m working through HR which I often do and she is pretty good and pretty quick.

I qualify Boris and he is hot for the role, qualified for it but there is room to grow and add to his tool kit at my clients company. I send the file over to HR, pretty quick turn around and we have the 1st of 2 interviews. Basically the 1st interview is to meet the Hiring Manager and HR to get a feel of a fit. The 2nd interview would be to meet the team and get a more detailed drilled down tour of the facilities and solidification on what the “day to day” expectations of the role.

We set it up and he goes out and was a great 1st meeting. Everyone got along like a house on fire, the role was as I described no negatives at all from either side. Before he leaves the interview they even confirm with him that even though they still have some 1st round interviews to finish he will be sure be selected for the 2nd round. He tells me this even before I have had a chance to get a debrief form HR. She confirms “Solid guy Maurice and we will be bringing him back.” So far so good!

Now the candidate is calling me thrice daily! “When is my interview? Have you heard from them yet? Why don’t you call them?” etc etc etc. I let him know that if it was up to me you would be starting next Monday but it’s not up to me and HR is waiting for the go ahead from the Manager, who you met by the way, and he told you the exact same thing. Because he has a great skill set I don’t have to guess if he is interviewing else where I already know that for a fact! Anyhow against my insistence he calls me EVERYDAY for 4 days. Then on the 5th day I advise him the game is on, the final interview will be tomorrow. He goes out nails it and we are now at the reference stage.

I say no use doing references if you don’t want the job as that is an exercise in futility. He says “I’m in” He provides me immediately with the references and I start the reference checks. Most times you leave a message for the person and they call you back. Takes 2 days for the reference checks and he has called me 4 times. “Have my references called you back yet?” I’m thinking man this guy REALLY wants this job!!

Call comes in from the client he’s our man and we are preparing an offer for him. She lets me know what the number on the offer is and the candidate is already pre-closed at a lower number. Text Book Close. In a sports analogy its “4th and goal, 1 second left on the shot clock, penalty shot and rounding 3rd base with sights on home plate. Have to close up this deal!

I call and email the candidate telling him “Great News, call me ASAP” Wait, wait and waiting, nothing Crickets! Total radio silence. Maybe he is now part of the witness protection program? Mother in law is in town? Cell battery died? Abducted by aliens perhaps? Heaven forbid an accident? For someone who called me incessantly all of a sudden he has gone “Dark” off the grid, vanished without a trace.

As the great Danny Cahill would say (excellent trainerwww.accordingtodanny.com) “Something has happened, the applicant is being in congruent and your deal is most likely dead.” The next question is what do you think I should do? If you were in a similar predicament how did you squirm out of it? Give him an ultimatum? Call the client and pull the offer? Have the client step in? Your thoughts are most welcomed.